Ryu
|Ryu (Street Fighter IV series)}} |Ryu (Street Fighter V series)}} is the main protagonist of the Street Fighter series, first appearing in the original Street Fighter. He is an experienced martial artist, highly focused on this training, alming to become the strongest he can. Biography Concept In the early days of most Street Fighter media, Ryu often had a more "rough and tumble" personality, as well as a bit of a goofy and lighthearted side to him. He was also shown to be quite irritable when hungry. In his short story in the manga Street Fighter Gaiden, he was shown to be a rather happy individual, a trait common among shounen main characters, such as Son Goku from the Dragon Ball series and Luffy from the One Piece series. Some of these traits are preserved in modern portrayals. Appearance Ryu most recognizable attire consists of a white karate gi with the sleeves torn off, medium length hair, a long red headband, a black martial arts belt and bare feet (a choice he makes of his own, believing it to be more comfortable). In many of his appearances, Ryu carries around a large, white duffel bag containing items important to his travels, such as clothing, plane tickets, passports, and local currency. In The first Street Fighter, Ryu wore a white headband and red shoes. Over the course of time, he has grown taller and more muscular, his karate gi has grown more tattered, his gloves have changed from brown to red and his headband has changed from white to red. Most notably, his hair color has darkened over time; his original Street Fighter appearance gave him red hair, brown in Street Fighter Alpha, dark brown in Street Fighter II, and black in Street Fighter III, Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter V. In the Street Fighter III series, Ryu's black hair has a blue tint. The red headband Ryu wears was originally worn by Ken. Ryu gave his white headband to Sakura before getting his red headband. From Street Fighter IV onwards, the red gloves worn by Ryu have started to bear stylized writing, which resembles the Furinkazan characters on his belt. In some official Street Fighter II artwork, Ryu's belt has four kanji emblazoned upon The right end. wind (Kaze), forest (Hayashi), fire (Hi) and mountain (Yama); these four kanji make up the Furinkazan. The same four kanji can be seen on a sign on the left-hand side of Ryu's stage in Street Fighter II, and are also visible on his belt in Street Fighter IV. The four words are based on chapter seven of Sun Tzu's Art of War, which dictates how one should conduct battle: "as fast as the wind, as quiet as the forest, as daring as fire, and immovable as the mountain." In Street Fighter II V, Ryu wears some casual outfits throughout the episodes; his primary appearance is a white short sleeve shirt, blue denim jeans and red and white sneakers. He also has a black watch on his left wrist. Ryu is not wearing his red headband. When he wears his white karate gi, he only wears brown prayer bead bracelet on his left wrist. He is also more tanned than in the games. His second alternate costume in Street Fighter V consist of only his white karate pants with a black belt to his waist and tatters in the edge of his pants, gray shoulder bands in each sides and hand wraps on his hands. He also has a black facial beard. Personality Ryu is a silent, meek, humble, submissive, self-deprecating, and respectful individual; which is often juxtaposed against the light-hearted, fiery persona of his childhood friend, Ken. He wanders the world with the desire for complete mastery of his martial art, and takes both his travels and training seriously. For Ryu, the training and the mystery that comes from the fight are all that he requires for satisfaction, declining the more material trappings of his various accomplishments as a warrior, simply moving on to his next challenge once he is victorious without delay, unless he is offered food or if he wants to converse with his friendly rivals. Though he does not actively seek the role of a hero, he possesses a strong sense of justice as well; protecting the innocent against the predations of bullies and tyrants is the one of the few things that Ryu will prioritize over a satisfying fight. Because of this "wandering warrior" persona and also being trained far away from modern-day culture, Ryu often appears detached to others. Despite this, he is a kind, authentic, good-hearted, and demonstrative warrior who readily helps those less fortunate than himself, is protective and gentle towards children, and on rare occasions, shows a sense of humor (albeit a bad one). He also respects others with skills equal, to his own; in the Marvel vs. Capcom series, he seems to hold superheroes like Captain America, Spider-Man, Cyclops, and Wolverine in high respect. To those who he is able to beat and is on friendly terms with, he compliments or encourages them to continue training and get stronger, sometimes offering help first hand (e.g. Dan). In his appearances in the manga adaptation of Street Fighter II, the anime series Street Fighter II V and the UDON Entertainment comics, Ryu would intake large amounts of food if the opportunity presented itself. There is, however, a dark side to Ryu: His drive to improve himself, no matter the difficulty, risks developing into a drive to win and to be the best at any cost. This darker drive is fed by (and in turn feeds) the Satsui no Hado within his soul, an influence which Ryu must constantly fight to suppress from killing (at least until the time of Street Fighter III). In times when his inner darkness threatens to overcome his humanity, Ryu relies on his friends and rivals - primarily Ken, Gouken, Chun-Li, Sagat and Sakura - to keep him grounded and help him overcome out of it. By the time of Street Fighter III, Ryu is somewhat more friendly; while still very quiet and reserved, but is willing to greet people with a smile and some kind advice, very much like his master Gouken. Character Relationship Over his many travels, Ryu has made many allies and friends, but he also has a few enemies, including his dark half. Allies Ken Ken is Ryu's best friend from his childhood, as the two have trained in the same art of Ansatsuken for a long time. They share a very close bond to each other and will help out each other no matter the cost. Both of them have also trained together under Gouken. One can see that they care for each other and never quarrel. Although Ryu spends his time training, Ken will go as far as inviting him to his wedding and Ryu will answer the call (seen in Ken's ending in Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix). The two usually greet each other by exchanging fist bumps, usually before starting a friendly sparring match. Guile Guile greatly respects Ryu and vice-versa. It is noted that they are friends since Ryu and Guile have eaten Natto and they get along very well. Chun-Li Chun-Li deeply admires Ryu for his strong determination and will to never give up in his fights and goals. Ryu seems to respect Chun-Li as well for her great fighting abilities. Cammy Cammy has a strong admiration for Ryu due to his great strength, fighting skills and heroic traits. They share a common enemy, M. Bison, against who they have worked together several times. In Street Fighter IV: The Ties that Bind, Ryu was ambushed by C. Viper in attempt to force him to give into the Satsui no Hado. However, before he could engage, Cammy intervened and discouraged Ryu to not fight C. Viper, since she's trying to bring out his true power. However, Cammy was also no match for Viper. As Viper tortures and defeats Cammy, the Dark Hado then takes over Ryu. Dan Despite Dan's faults and behavior, Ryu does consider him a friend. Oro While Ryu is weirded out by his eccentric personality, he still respects him as a master martial artist. Sakura Sakura is Ryu's fan and a close friend of his. She has always tried to get Ryu to train her in hopes of becoming a better fighter. While Ryu does not believe that he is ready to take her as a student, they will sometimes have a match to see her improvement in fighting. Fei Long Fei Long and Ryu share a mutual respect. Sean Being Ken's student, Sean is a friend of Ryu. Ryu and Sean usually engage in sparring to improve Sean's beginner skills. Gouken Gouken is Ryu's master who raised him since he was a boy. Ryu also views him as a father and was inspired by him to become a martial artist. Hugo Ryu is impressed by Hugo's ability to withstand his Shin Souryuken and became his tag team partner for a while. Rose Rose is a close friend of Ryu. Like himself, she detests the Satsui no Hado too, and will often help him to overcome its influence. Nash Ryu and Charlie both respect each others skill after they fought in China. Sagat Sagat is one of Ryu's most respected rivals, as he was the one to bring out the Satsui no Hado out of him during the first World Warrior Tournament. At first, Sagat had a grudge against Ryu for stripping away his pride as a warrior. Later on, though, Sagat began to respect Ryu for his brave will and sportsmanship, and the two have become great rivals afterwards. Gen Having encountered him during his time as a restaurant operator, he became fascinated with Ryu. Gen would eventually test Ryu's strength in combat and held him in high regard. Elena Ryu and Elena respects each other's fighting style and have respect for each other. Dhalsim In Street Fighter V, Dhalsim mentors Ryu in his attempts to control the Satsui No Hado and defended him from Necalli. Birdie Ryu first encountered Birdie during the first World Warrior tournament and has fought against him sporadically over time. He becomes an uneasy ally during a raid on Shadaloo's base in Street Fighter V, despite Birdie formerly working for Shadaloo. Alex Alex considers Ryu as his ultimate rival, after being momentarily caught off guard by his attacks. They engage in a fight with a currently unknown outcome. Jin Kazama Ryu has a positive relationship with Jin from Namco's Tekken series and Tekken X Street Fighter, as both fighters have an evil power they seek to overcome. Neutral Juri While they have little interaction, Juri is especially attracted to Ryu's strength and power, and very much enjoys fighting the Ansatsuken style and even berates Ryu for trying to find a purpose in fighting, saying he should live for the pleasure of it. Upon fighting Evil Ryu, Juri gets "overly excited" saying if Ryu keeps glaring at her like that, she'll start getting "frisky". Despite her attraction, Juri dislikes the Satsui no Hado, saying it's too abhorrent even for her. Kazuya Mishima Because of the Tekken character's truly evil nature and complete embracement of the Devil Gene power, Kazuya is a great rival of Ryu. Despite their opposing personalities and their clashes in Street Fighter X Tekken, Namco X Capcom and Tekken X Street Fighter, Ryu and Kazuya occasionally team up in Project X Zone 2, so it can be assume that there is a neutral relationship between the two protagonists of the two series. Enemies M. Bison One of Ryu's mortal enemies, Bison has repeatedly tried to capture Ryu in hopes of using him as a host body or brainwash him into being a member of Shadaloo. Due to Ryu having the Satsui no Hado sealed in him, this is part of M. Bison's plan to control that dark power for himself. Ultimately, it is Ryu who is the one to finally defeat Bison once and for all. Seth One of Ryu's greatest enemies, Ryu despises Seth and vice versa due to their different philosophies on power and on how to acquire it. Gill Gill is one of Ryu's enemies. Ryu finds Gill to be no better than Bison due to his actions and the lengths he has gone to achieve them. Akuma Akuma is one of Ryu's most hated enemies, as the was the one who tried to kill his master, Gouken. Akuma also attempts to lure Ryu into succumbing to the Satsui no Hado, therefore casting aside his humanity, in hopes of finally finding a worthy opponent for the ultimate fight to the death that he seeks. Ryu knows this is a trap of temptation planned by Akuma, as Ryu has tried his best to find a way to get rid of the Satsui no Hado while refusing to succumb to that kind of power. Evil Ryu Ryu is aware of how dangerous his other half is and tries his best to keep him under control. Kage Kage is the physical manifestation of Ryu's Satsui no Hado after Ryu expelled the power from his body. Kage himself now seeks to fight and defeat Ryu in order to show and prove to the latter that he's nothing without him. Adon Adon seeks to defeat Ryu in order to prove that he has surpassed his former master Sagat. Necalli Necalli is an ancient spirit that wants to devour Ryu's soul as part of a prophecy. Necalli constantly attacks Ryu during A Shadow Falls until he is finally beaten by Ryu. Story Early Life Pre-''Street Fighter'' As a very young child, Ryu was orphaned and left with no memories about his parents, and whether they were still alive. He was found and adopted by a man named Gouken who raised Ryu in his secluded dojo and trained Ryu in the ways of his martial arts. Shortly afterwards, Gouken would later train his best friend's spoiled son, Ken Masters. Ken served not only as a sparring partner, but also gave Ryu a friend in the form of a boy his own age. Ryu looked up to Gouken as a father figure, and regards Ken as his best friend and surrogate brother, a relationship which remains to this day. When Ryu turned 23 years old, Gouken believed that Ryu was ready to travel the world in order to test and hone his martial skills against the best fighters from around the world. With this, Ryu left Gouken's dojo, and headed to fight in the World Warrior tournament. The first World Warrior tournament =''Main Article: Street Fighter = Ryu is one of the participants of the World Warrior tournament. After defeating all challengers, Ryu's skills earn him the right to fight its host, Sagat. Sagat nearly beats Ryu into unconsciousness and, thinking he had won, drops his guard to help Ryu up. Ryu, however, allows himself to be engulfed by the Satsui no Hado and strikes Sagat with a nearly-fatal Metsu Shoryuken that not only knocks Sagat unconscious, but also marks his chest with a great scar. After regaining consciousness and discovering what had happened, Sagat swears vengeance on Ryu. While it wasn't revealed at the time, when Ryu scarred Sagat, some of his Hado passed to Sagat. Beginning the battles against Akuma and Bison =''Main Article: Street Fighter Alpha series = Ryu leaves Sagat behind and returns to his home, only to find that Gouken, his master and adoptive father, has apparently been murdered. Learning that Akuma had fought and supposedly killed his master, Ryu began to travel the world to find this man. He encounters and fights Akuma on a secluded island known as Gokuentou, and wins; however, Akuma was only testing him, and senses that Ryu has the same powers as he does. He proceeds to tell Ryu about the Satsui no Hado - a power that consumes the practitioners of their shared fighting style, driving them to win even when it means killing the opponent. Akuma then uses his fist to smash the island, leaving Ryu stranded. Sometime after escaping the island, Ryu battles Ken and loses. Ken realizes Ryu is not himself, as he has been deeply troubled since his last victory over Sagat. He gives him his red hairband as a reminder to stay focused, which Ryu was sincerely grateful for. Soon thereafter, a fan of his, named Sakura, comes up and expresses her desire to train under him. Ryu replies that he himself still has much to learn, but allows Sakura to take a picture of him for now. At some point, Ryu is found by Sagat, who is out for a grudge match. Ryu protests that Sagat hasn't fully recovered from their last bout, but Sagat persists. Ryu lets Sagat win rather than do any further damage, and Sagat leaves. Only later, upon reflection, does Sagat realize that Ryu held back, vowing to fight him again. Two years later, Ryu continues to be troubled by what Akuma had told him, compounded by his encounter with Rose, who has intricate ties to M. Bison. She tells him that he cannot defeat Bison unless he fights him at the cost of his soul. True to form, when Ryu confronts Bison, he is defeated despite putting up a valiant fight. Bison takes the semi-conscious Ryu and begins brainwashing him, using the revelation that the Satsui no Hado - the dark power Ryu struggles to avoid using - is akin to Bison's own Psycho Power. This scene is interrupted by the entrance of Sagat, Ken, and Sakura, each of them having followed Ryu for their own reasons. While Ken and Sakura distract Bison, Sagat fights the brainwashed Ryu, quickly noticing the effects Bison's brainwashing has had on him. At Sagat's urging, Ryu comes to his senses to confront and defeat Bison, destroying him temporarily. Second world warrior tournament and Bison's return =''Main Article'': ''Street Fighter II'' series = During the World Warrior tournament, Ryu enters to test his skills, and defeats many of the new warriors. He encourages Ken to re-enter as well. During the tournament, he helps Guile, Ken, Chun-Li and Cammy defeat Bison. However, Bison refused Guile's offer to surrender himself to the military before unleashing all of his Psycho Power to commit suicide and it is unknown how far Ryu himself progressed in the tournament, although it is implied he may have lost to Ken. Other sources on the other hand support the idea that he's the tournament winner. In his non-canon ending, he shortly leaves the tournament after he wins against Bison, and revisits his master's grave to tell about his victory and the experiences he had with the other fighters. Ryu then states that the ultimate battle is out there waiting for him and departs, stating that the fight is everything. In HD Remix, Ryu appears in Ken's ending, appearing in a somewhat blurry photo with Guile wearing a tuxedo but still wearing his red headband. This is the first time Ryu is seen wearing anything other than his gi. S.I.N tournament and battle against Seth =''Main Article'': Street Fighter IV series = After the second World Warrior tournament, Ryu continued his journey and wound up in an isolated desert where he trained. Ryu then remembers his argument with Akuma, with Akuma urging Ryu to give in to the Dark Hado or else he will kill him. Ryu then leaves a desert and goes to a bar where he meets a biker. The biker then tells him a story about an American Martial Arts Champion who abandoned his family. Believing it to be Ken, Ryu visits the house of the said champion but is ambushed by C. Viper. During the fight, Ryu tries to fight off the secret agent but was no match for her. Suddenly, the Delta Red agent Cammy then attempts to ambush C. Viper. However, Cammy was also no match for Viper and Viper then tortures Cammy, in which the Dark Hado then takes over Ryu and engages C. Viper but would easily defeat her. Luckily for Viper, she manages to escape the possessed Ryu. Angered, Ryu then slaughters multiple S.I.N scientists who witnessed the fight until Ken, Chun-Li, Guile, and Sakura arrive to save Ryu and help Cammy. Sakura would then restrain the possessed Ryu as Ken calls the hospital to help Cammy. Ryu would then regain his consciousness and realize what he has done. After being sent to Ken's mansion, Ryu realizes he is being targered by S.I.N and its leader Seth for their evil plans. With Guile's plan to infiltrate Seth's cruise ship to incarcerate him, Ryu then tags along, knowing that Seth would be waiting for him. After traveling to the base, Ryu and Ken then dispatch multiple S.I.N thugs before Ryu encounters Seth himself. Ryu and Seth then engage, with Seth easily overpowering Ryu and giving him his twisted philosophy of power. Ryu then admits that he never understood what power is and that he understands Seth's philosophy fore stating that the power he describes is not what he's after. Seth, unamused, continues beating up Ryu before Ryu awakens a new power and nearly kills Seth with it. Ryu then collapses from this power, and senses it in Ken. A few days later, Ryu and Ken then part ways, with Ryu stating that they will meet again. Ryu then enters into a new tournament to further master his skills as well as reunite with his longtime friend Ken for another rematch. During his journey, he meets up with Sakura whom he encourages to train harder. Meanwhile Ryu also meets up with Sagat once more; the two fight, and while the result of the fight is unknown, it is implied that Ryu won. During the final round with the tournament host Seth (actually a copy of him), he defeats him in the S.I.N. headquarters. During and after this battle the building fell around them as Ryu unleashed the Satsui no Hado on the BLECE machine, a weapon of mass destruction developed by S.I.N. that harnessed the energy in the human body. During this, Sakura - who has been searching for Ryu - finds him and the BLECE machine, and a pulse of energy from it knocks her into a wall. Ryu defends her by unleashing a Shoryuken on the machine, and they leave the building together, the weapon destroyed. He then encounters Gouken, who has in fact survived his last battle with Akuma, and Gouken uses the "Power of Nothingness" to seal the Satsui no Hado which is eating at Ryu, knocking him unconscious. Akuma then arrives on the scene to challenge his brother for a death duel, the winner of which will claim "the cub" (meaning Ryu). The outcome of the duel is unknown but, since Ryu is later seen free of Dark Hado's influence, it is very likely that either Gouken won or the battle ended in a draw (possibly interrupted). Later, Ryu and Ken chase their long-lost master along a cliff face, with Ken wanting Gouken to stick around while Ryu wishes him well. Afterwards, he and Ken are walking through the desert while Rufus mocks them on his motorcycle, though it later breaks down and he is left pushing it while Ryu and Ken drives by (in Ken's jeep). Ryu later bids Sakura farewell as she, Dan and Blanka leave from home on a cruise ship. Some time later, having decided that his battles have made him stronger, he meets a now-older Sakura. What happens next is unknown, although Gouken might have laught Ryu the Shin Shoryuken and Denjin Hadoken at some point before Street Fighter III. Final Battle with Shadoloo =Main Article'': Street Fighter V series = Story '''Prologue - 'Finding True Strength'' In his dream, he is fighting against his evil self, claiming to him that the power to kill will make him stronger, which Ryu ultimately rejects it. Gouken is in a sparring match during the incident. Ryu charges himself in the Satsui no Hado and attempts to hit his master with a single Hadoken. It explodes in a flash of light. Ryu wakes up from his dream with Gouken telling him that the Satsui no Hado almost consumed him. Rashid and Azam find Ryu, introducing himself as a hero who travels the world. Gouken questions Rashid why he comes to see Ryu. Rashid states he wants to challenge Ryu in a match which is to test his mettle. Ryu doesn't immediately get up to fight, worrying about the Satsui no Hado, which confuses Rashid and has Gouken questioning him why he didn't do it, citing Ryu's quote "The answer lies in the heart of battle". Ryu eventually gets up and spars with Rashid, resulting in a victory. Rashid learns from the fight about himself. He thanks Ryu for the lesson and leaves. Ryu decides that he should leave, too, and better understand his power. Gouken tells Ryu to meet Ken, who has been concerned about him. Ryu and Ken finally meet in Brazil. Ken was told by Gouken about Ryu's struggles with the Satsui no Hado and thinks a good match can solve it, so they fight. Afterwards, Ryu still worries about the Satsui no Hado. Ken reassures Ryu that if Ryu falls over to the dark side, he'll take him down and stop it. Ken tells Ryu to just relax and fight. Ryu goes to China and gets ambushed by a Shadaloo soldier. Nash comes in and takes down the soldier. Nash expected to see Ryu, which triggers a bit of Satsui no Hado within him. Nash says they have to fight so he can understand the power and know its limits. The fight ultimately ends in a draw. Nash is surprised by the power, having it surpass his expectations. Ryu tells him that he tries to suppress the power and struggles with it, but has decided to not let it take him over, which Nash respects. Ryu thanks him for the fight and Nash leaves. Other Prologue Appearances: * Ryu appears in his Alpha appearance during Ken's flashback from his prologue story where he loses to Ken in the events of Street Fighter Alpha 2. * Ryu appears in Rashid's prologue story as a counterpart of his prologue story, showing the full result of the fight. * In Laura's prologue story, Ryu was challenged by Laura who is seeking to fight worthy opponents and became thrilled about the Satsui no Hado he utilizes in the fight. * A simulation version of Ryu (in his Alpha appearance) appears in Alex's prologue story and scars Alex from his right cheek before the latter takes him down. * Ryu appears in Akuma's prologue story. Akuma challenges him in a fight in a battle between the light and the darkness which is both the Satsui no Hado and the Mu no Ken. Akuma defeats Ryu, who tells him that he had walked into the path of the demon to which Ryu makes him answer his question while on the ground. Akuma tells him that they will cross paths someday and he will confront him at the end of his journey. *In Sakura's character story which takes place after A Shadow Falls and his sparring match with Ken, Karin mentioned about Ryu when he participate along with the rest of the fighters in the final assault against Shadaloo after her sparring match against Sakura. Ryu was later sent by Karin to deal Sakura's problems when Sakura had bumped into him leading both to a fight. Sakura defeats Ryu and became amused that her fighting skills and abilities have improved and also watch her blushed in embarrassment after an awkward situation between them when they talked about strength. *He also appears in Kage's character story, taking place sometime after the defeat of M. Bison and Ryu vanquishing the Satsui no Hado. He is shown meditating while Kage defeats Sagat and Akuma (with the two knowing that Kage is not the actual Ryu) when Kage arrives to attempt to get Ryu to accept him since he defeated the opponents he claimed Ryu wanted to defeat. Ryu replies that he cannot deny him, but he doesn't accept that he is the actual Ryu, also stating he is not going to fight Kage. Kage, calling Ryu a coward, attacks him by force. Taking this on top of Suzaku Castle, Ryu tells Kage that he is not trying to win Kage over and is not trying to lose either. Even after Ryu loses to Kage, Ryu tells Kage that if he wants to possess Ryu, he may. Kage angrily yells out on why Ryu isn't afraid of him. Ryu replies that if Kage wants to exist, he can exist, and if Kage wants to leave, he can leave, also stating that Ryu will do whatered he chooses to. Kage replies by asking if Ryu thinks he is stronger than him, but before Kage can finish, he is struck by an unseen force, and Kage screams one final time as he finally vanishes for good, and Ryu is relieved; the one who tormented him has finally been defeated. *Ryu appears in E. Honda's character story where he was meditating at his bathhouse while being drenched with warm water only for E. Honda to scold him leading both of them to fight and he loses. Honda gives Ryu some proper advice by relaxing at the tub which he became much more relaxed. A Shadow Falls Ryu meets with Dhalsim, training Mahesh, and says he is still struggling with the Satsui no Hado and needs help. They decide to have a spar. After the spar, Dhalsim tells him that suppressing the power will eventually lead to the power consuming him. He tells him that he needs to face the Hado and conquer it. Necalli drops down from above, looking to consume fighters' souls. Dhalsim defends Mahesh while Ryu fights Necalli. Necalli overpowers Ryu, which almost triggers his dark power. Dhalsim takes Ryu's punch, proclaiming that he can't let the Hado take him over. Dhalsim fights off Necalli. Ryu notices a Black Moon veering over and blocking the sun, which gives him visions of M. Bison. Necalli eventually melts away temporarily. He is told about Necalli by Dhalsim, telling him that Necalli is an ancient being that consumes warriors' souls and only appears when many warriors are needed in a crisis. Ryu concludes that the world is in crisis because of the Black Moons. Ryu finally joins up with Ken, Chun-Li and Karin as they team up to make a final assault against Shadaloo. As Chun-Li defeats F.A.N.G. while rescuing Li-Fen, Ryu finally faces off against Bison, who is ready to challenge him, and Ryu states that his strength was to push forward and he is ready to fight him. After an epic long battle, Bison isn't giving up yet, until Ryu hits him with a Hadoken, infused with the Power of Nothingness, seemingly hinting at Ryu's mastery of the power and a sublimation of the Satsui no Hado. Bison's body begins to crack as it dissipates in a flash of light, defeating the madman. As the base is about to destroyed, Ryu, Guile, Chun-Li and Li-Fen escape; Chun-Li is slow to catch up, so Ryu uses his Denjin Hadoken to stop the fires from the explosion. After the incident, Ryu is meditating as Ken visits him for the second time. He challenges him for a friendly sparring match as he tells Ryu to prove if he already found his answer. Ryu is able to defeat Ken as Ken also manages to knock Ryu's red headband. As it falls on the ground, Ryu realizes that he already found his answer of his true strength. As he gets his headband, Ken is happy to see his friend has grown, and Ryu also says that he still needs his headband for the battle. The two are later seen having a friendly fist bump with each other. Third World Warrior Tournament and battle against the Illuminati =''Main Article'': Street Fighter III series = Years later, Ryu enters the third World Warrior tournament to further advance his fighting abilities. His most notable fight during the tournament is against Hugo, who is able to withstand his Shin Shoryuken and hold his own. He continues his travels afterward, meeting Oro along the way. Ryu ends up being defeated by Oro who likes him to be his successor. He was later seen in Oro's ending, being trained by him but Ryu is unaware of Oro's presence as he only heard his voice. Shortly after the tournament, Ryu meets up with Ken for a friendly match in the latter's storyline, from which he emerges the victor. Ryu later fights against Sean who has been asked by Ken to fight him. Ryu easily defeats him from time to time with just a single Hadoken as he noticed his actions. Ryu also serves as Hugo's pro-wrestling tag-team partner for a brief period of time before moving on, also shown in Hugo's storyline. At some point, he encounters Alex, whom he solidly defeats. Ryu encourages the young wrestler to continue honing his abilities against strong opponents. Fascinated by Ryu's skill and determined to become stronger, Alex soon sets out to find Ryu for a rematch. In his ending, Ryu is under a waterfall practicing his mind and body. He mumbles about the meaning of a true warrior, why he needs to be strong and reminisces his youthful days. A single leaf falls over him and he crushes the leaf with his left hand. Ryu believes that as long as his strong opponents and some fierce battles will excite him, he will possess the strength to move even one of his fingers and decides to keep on fighting. Gameplay Techniques Gallery Also See [[w:c:streetfighter:Ryu|Ryu's page on the Street Fighter Wiki]] References Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Street Fighter Characters Category:Japanese Characters Category:Tekken X Street Fighter Category:Playable Characters Category:Heroes Category:Characters with an air throw Category:Characters with a projectile